Digital Diplomacy Through Twitter: Comparing Diplomatic Strategies of International and Pakistani Embassies
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Digital diplomacy has transformed the diplomatic strategies of embassies, facilitating their online agenda-setting, presence expansion and visibility, directly engaging them with foreign audiences. This paper compares the digital diplomatic strategies of Pakistani embassies on Twitter with those of China, Russia, the UK, and the US, focusing on their agenda-setting, presence expansion, and engagement and conversation generation. The "Three-Dimensional Model" of Bjola and Jiang (2015) serves as a theoretical framework for analyzing the role of social media in digital diplomacy. A quantitative content analysis was conducted to assess the Twitter agendas of these embassies between January 1 and December 31, 2022, and to code retweets, hashtags, and targeted audiences for presence expansion. An online survey was also conducted among their Twitter followers (comprising 480 participants) to compare engagement and conversation generation. According to the findings, these embassies tweet about international advocacy and tributes to manage their Twitter agenda for global and ambassadorial interests. However, for shared interests, Pakistani embassies tend to highlight the flood crisis, while international embassies focus more on cultural aspects. Pakistani embassies outperformed their international counterparts on Twitter by expanding their online presence through targeted strategies, and international embassies lagged behind. With a slight edge and a minor difference for international embassies, these embassies have engaged and generated conversations with their Twitter followers almost to the same extent. By comparing international and domestic embassies, this study may strengthen bilateral ties, advance public diplomacy through better use of social media, and enhance strategy. It may demonstrate how embassies influence participation, manipulate Twitter's system to gain prominence, and impact public opinion. The study may also assess the narrative power of local embassies and the impact of foreign influence on public opinion, thereby assisting academics and policymakers in enhancing Pakistan's global diplomatic status.
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